Elsa S. Du Toit

• BSc; BSc Agric (Hons) Cum laude; MSc Agric Cum laude; PhD
• University of Pretoria

Moringa oleifera Lam., a tree naturally grown in the tropics, is becoming increasingly popular as an industrial crop due to its multitude of useful attributes. Therefore, this study tested the effect of temporary immersion system (TIS) bioreactors for mass micropropagation of Moringa oleifera Lam. callus, roots, and shoots. TIS are tissue culture s...

Medicinal and herbal plants are increasingly cultivated on commercial scale all around the world, to satisfy the large demand for natural remedies associated with plant bioactive compounds. Moringa oleifera Lam. is one of these attractive plant species, being cultivated across the world, with most of the production in Africa and Asia. However, it i...

As the global desire for natural remedies derived from botanicals increases, the pressure on plant populations and biodiversity intensifies. Therefore, to conserve biodiversity as a valuable genetic and biochemical resource, sustainable utilisation and commercial production should be prioritised. Myrsine africana L. (MA), has recently been found to...

Moringa (Moringa oleifera) is one of the world's most useful plants. Different parts of the M. oleifera tree contain a rich profile of important minerals, proteins, vitamins, and various important bioactive compounds. As an important medicinal plant, the tree proved to exhibit various therapeutic activities such as anti-cancer, anti-hypertension, a...

Moringa oleifera Lam. is one of the world’s most useful medicinal plants. Different parts of the M. oleifera tree contain a rich profile of important minerals, proteins, vitamins, and various important bioactive compounds. However, there are differences in the phytochemical composition of the medicinal plant’s raw materials due to seasonal variatio...

Moringa oleifera Lam. is becoming increasingly popular as an industrial crop due to its multitude of useful attributes as a water purifier, nutritional supplement and biofuel feedstock. Horticultural practices such as pruning that encourage improved production of M. oleifera in terms of flowers and fruits have been given little attention especially...

The most important chemicals common in Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves are polyphenols and tannins. They are synthesised during development and the amount and composition are primarily dependent on environmental conditions and factors such as leaf harvesting. Trials were conducted in the Gauteng Province at the University of Pretoria Experimental Farm...

Moringa oleifera Lam. (the miracle-/drumstick-/horseradish tree) is a resilient, multipurpose, horticultural crop cultivated for a range of functions from nutrition to cosmetics. Development of this still emerging crop necessitates both sexual and asexual propagation as to select and rapidly regenerate superior individuals possessing advantageous c...

The study investigates the presence and quantity of antimicrobial sinigrin glucosinolates in tomato leaves after spraying them with moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf extract (MLAE). Moringa concentrates (0.5, 0.75, 1.00 and 1.5 kg L⁻¹ (w v⁻¹)) were prepared. Distilled water was the control. Sampled tomato leaves were air-dried, freeze-dried and extra...

There have been increased interest to propagate Moringa oleifera because of its multipurpose uses. However there are still no appropriate guidelines for long-term storage of Moringa seed because diverse results are reported in literature. Although progress has been made to understand the causes of seed deterioration, few studies have been made on n...

The study evaluated responses of Alternaria solani infected (IN) and non-infected (NIN) tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaf anatomy to moringa leaf extract (MLE) application and correlated responses to fruit yield. IN and NIN relates to the infection status of the plants used in the study. MLE concentrations of 0.5, 0.75 and 1.5 kg/L (w v-1) were pr...

Lobostemon fruticosus (Boraginaceae) is one of the most important South African endangered medicinal plants, which is rare in nature due to over exploitation and poor seed germination. Natural regeneration of the crop is furthermore limited by over exploitation of the root system in nature. In an effort to improve and promote the cultivation of thi...

Alternaria solani is highly infective and can sporulate on tomato at 13.2 × 106 spores mL−1. The fungicidal effect of Moringa oleifera leaf chloroform and aqueous extracts (MLCE and MLAE, respectively) was investigated in vitro to determine the inhibitory effect on germination of spores (conidia) of A. solani. Mixtures of spore suspension and MLCE,...

In order to comprehend storage compound synthesis and accumulation throughout seed growth, the integral processes of embryogenesis and endosperm development need to be described. Micro-anatomical studies of developing Moringa oleifera seed have revealed the endosperm to be primarily nuclear, becoming cellular from the chalazal end towards the devel...

Lobostemon fruticosus is a semi-woody shrub used medicinally for treating wounds, blood poisoning, ringworms, skin diseases and syphilis. The material used is mostly wild harvested, leading to decline in natural populations. Propagation and cultivation methods to establish commercial production can assist in conservation of the species. The objecti...

Moringa seed oil is known as Ben oil. Recently research by several authors illustrated the potential use of Ben oil for biodiesel production. Oil quality is directly related to the physiological condition of the seeds from which it is extracted. Oil extracted from damaged and deteriorated seed can compromise fuel quality. The aim of the study was t...

South Africa is following the international trend of liquid biofuel production, as noted in the South African Biofuels Industrial Strategy of 2007. This strategy highlighted the benefits of biofuel production in terms of alleviating poverty in rural areas, promoting rural economic development and stimulating agricultural production. A 2% blend of b...

South Africa is following the international trend of liquid biofuel production, as noted in the South African Biofuels Industrial Strategy of 2007. This strategy highlighted the benefits of biofuel production in terms of alleviating poverty in rural areas, promoting rural economic development and stimulating agricultural production. A 2% blend of b...

This book is based on papers presented at the Ninth Triennial African Potato Association Conference, Naivasha, Kenya, 30 June-4 July 2013.The book focuses on the policies for germplasm exchange, food security and trade in Africa, seed systems, breeding and disease management and postharvest management, processing technologies and marketing systems...

Lobostemon fruticosusL. (Boraginaceae) is a medicinal plant whichis commonly used in rural communities of the Western Cape Provinceof South Africa. Traditionally, leaves of the plant are used for treatingwounds, blood poisoning, ringworms, skin diseases and syphilis. Theplant is currently wild harvested and this can lead to a decline innatural popu...

Seed ageing during storage is one of the main causes of reduction in seed quality and this results in loss of vigour and failure to thrive. Finding appropriate storage conditions to ameliorate deterioration due to ageing is, therefore essential. Ultrastructural changes in cellular organelles during storage, and seed germination rates are valuable i...

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the variation in antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the leaf acetone extracts of 12 Moringa oleifera trees harvested in order to select the best material for clonal propagation. Methods: A two-fold serial microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)...

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the variation in antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the leaf acetone extracts of 12 Moringa oleifera trees harvested in order to select the best material for clonal propagation. Methods A two-fold serial microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) a...

To cite this paper: Muhl, Q.E., E.S. du Toit and J.M. Steyn, 2014. Irrigation amounts affect the compositional changes of Moringa oleifera seeds throughout different developmental stages. Int. Abstract The compositional development of Moringa oleifera seed across a range of growth stages was monitored at three irrigation treatments, simulating tota...

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of long-term in vitro sub-culturing on the varietal degeneration of three sweet potato varieties, namely, Monate, Mokone and Ndou which were sub-cultured for 32, 23 and 12 generations, respectively. Each generation was cultured in a media which is made from 4.43 g/L Murashige and Skoog (MS), 30 g/L suc...

Moringa oleifera is becoming increasingly popular as an industrial crop due to its multitude of useful attributes as water purifier, nutritional supplement and biofuel feedstock. Given its tolerance to sub-optimal growing conditions, most of the current and anticipated cultivation areas are in medium to low rainfall areas. This study aimed to asses...

Pelargonium sidoides (family Geraniaceae) is one of several geophytic species of the genus that are important traditional medicines (anti-microbial, anti-viral and immune boosting actions) in South Africa. Although domesticated, vegetative propagation of the species is not documented. Therefore, the study was conducted to investigate the influence...

Grafting has been a common propagation method in many fruit trees to achieve fruiting precocity. Its success has depended on proper alignment of parenchymatous tissues of both scions and their respective rootstocks. Although grafting has been practiced for a long time, the right or ideal length of a diagonal cut surface that promotes proper alignme...

Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae), also known as the horseradish or drumstick tree, is a native plant of pan-tropical areas such as sub-Himalayan regions of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. However, other locations such as Africa, Ceylon and Thailand have started cultivating this plant. Due to the use of almost every part of the plant...

Moringa oleifera is becoming increasingly popular as an industrial crop due to its multitude of useful attributes as water purifier, nutritional supplement and biofuel feedstock. Given its tolerance to sub-optimal growing conditions, most of the current and anticipated cultivation areas are in medium to low rainfall areas. This study aimed to asses...

Protea cynaroides L. is a slow-growing, difficult-to-propagate plant. Due to problems such as phenolic browning and their sensitivity to the phosphorous nutrient, in vitro multiplication of P. cynaroides explants have not been successful. The present study was conducted to induce shoot proliferation of established P. cynaroides microshoots, and inv...

Rose tissues of different varieties were transformed using a Bio-Rad Helios® hand-held biolistic gun. Parameters for optimum transient expression were optimized and included rose variety, flower age, tissue, gold particle size and DNA Loading ratio. Smooth flowers without thick waxy layers and young unopened actively growing flowers were found to b...

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a fast growing, drought tolerant tree with numerous beneficial uses, such as for nutritious food, animal forage, green manure, water purification, traditional medicine and bio-fuel (Anwar et al., 2007). The developmental seed morphology and anatomy of Moringa has not been researched, especially with regards to the accumulat...

Allium sativum (garlic) is considered as a vegetable and as an herbal crop throughout the world, including South Africa. Yield and quality can be improved through nitrogen (N) and sulphur (S) nutrition. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of ammonium sulphate and calcium nitrate fertilization on the bioactivity of A. sativum p...

Pappea capensis Eckl. & Zeyh. is a member of the Sapindaceae family and widely distributed throughout Southern Africa. This tree is considered drought and frost tolerant, with its edible fruit being of economical importance. The seed contains a high concentration of oil that shows great potential to be used as a bio-diesel. No information is availa...

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a fast growing, drought tolerant tree with numerous beneficial uses, such as for nutritious food, animal forage, green manure, water purification, traditional medicine and bio-fuel (Anwar et al., 2007). The effect of hardening-off tree seedlings and consequent cultivation at lower temperatures on growth and flowering of thi...

Phenolic compounds, which are known to regulate root formation, are found abundantly in difficult-to-root Protea cynaroides stem cuttings. In this study, analysis of total phenol content was carried out on blanched and unblanched cuttings to observe its fluctuation throughout the entire rooting period (120 days) and establish its relationship with...

Gender and the structure of the inflorescence and flowers of Pappea capensis (Sapindaceae) are investigated in a locality around Pretoria (22–27°S and 25–32°E). The trees flower over a long period (December to April) and are basically monoecious, starting with male flowers followed by female flowers towards the end of the flowering period, although...

High germination percentages and rates, with relatively good uniformity, are important factors for successful commercial seedling production. Moringa oleifera seeds were planted into seedling trays and placed into three temperature-controlled greenhouses with fluctuating night/day temperature regimes namely; 10/20°C, 15/25°C and 20/30°C. Seedling t...

In the literature there is disagreement about the existence of a coleorhiza in cycad embryos. In this paper the terminology of the cycad ovule, seed and embryo is revised. It was confirmed that the cycad ovule and seed are pachychalazal and that the seed coat is exclusively formed by the pachychalaza. The term ‘pleurotesta’ as a substitute for the...

Moringa oleifera trees are naturally found in tropical climates around the world, while the extent of their adaptability to cooler climates was the main objective of this study. A total of 264 trees, made up of an equal number hardened and non-hardened seedlings were randomly assigned to three temperature-controlled greenhouses each with a differen...

Geographical distribution and growth of plants are to a great extent governed by temperature. As Moringa oleifera trees are mainly found throughout the tropics around the world, the extent of their physiological adaptability to lower temperature was the main objective of this study. The successful cultivation of M. oleifera trees in cooler climates...

Poor and inconsistent germination of Protea cynaroides seeds are often observed in soil. A protocol based on embryo culture was developed for efficient in vitro propagation of P. cynaroides. The effects of temperature, light conditions and gibberellic acid (GA 3) on the in vitro germination of P. cynaroides embryos were studied. The results showed...

Cutting position, rooting medium and rooting hormone are critical factors that affect rooting development of stem cuttings. In this study, the objectives were to determine the best cutting position, ideal propagation medium and the effect of hormone on rooting of fever tea (Lippia javanica L.) stem cuttings. Results of this study demonstrated that...

The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between phenols and graft incompatibility in Uapaca kirkiana. Phenol quantification and identification were carried out using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent procedure, fluorescence microscopy and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatograph (RP-HPLC) above, below and at the graft union....

The study was undertaken to identify an effective culture growing system for mass multiplication of jacket plum (Pappea capensis) through somatic embryogenesis. Calli derived from leaf sections were transferred onto Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different supplements. The most effective medium for callus induction was MS supplemented with 0....

The effect of Nitrogen: Phosphorus: Potassium (NPK) (2:1:2 (44)) fertilizers on growth, accumulation of bioactive naphthoquinones (shinanolone, 7-methyljuglone, diospyrin, isodiospyrin and neodiospyrin) and antimycobacterial activity was investigated in seedlings of Euclea natalensis (Ebenaceae) grown in shadehouse and in field conditions. Seedling...

Examination of callus micro-grafts in Uapaca kirkiana Müell Arg. was carried out with the objective of determining early signs of graft compatibility. Leaves from U. kirkiana, U. nitida and Jatropha curcas trees were used for callus induction. Two pieces of callus were co-cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with different supplements. Co-cu...

The objective of this investigation was to study the effect of cutting position, rooting medium and hormone on the rooting of bush tea stem cuttings. The experiment was carried out in four consecutive seasons from 2002 to 2003 at the Hatfield Experimental Farm of the University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa. The parameters recorded were cutti...

The objective of the study was to determine efficient preconditioning methods for in vitro multiplication of Uapaca kirkiana plant materials from mature stock plants. The efficacy of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), calcium hypochlorite {Ca(OCl2)2} or mercuric chloride (HgCl2) as surface sterilant was evaluated in decontaminating explants excised from...

Analysis of stem extracts identified large quantities of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and other similar phenolics. The exogenous application of 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid on Protea cynaroides explants in vitro significantly increased the root mass at 100mgl−1, but not at lower concentrations, while root inhibition was observed at 500mgl−1. HPLC analysi...

Compatibility of scion and stock combinations in Uapaca kirkiana fruit trees has not been evaluated despite noticeable growth irregularities. The objectives of this study were to determine graft compatibility of scion/stock combinations and possible causes of graft incompatibility. Scion, stock, and graft union diameters were measured. Stem section...

The objective of the trial was to determine an effective propagation protocol for jacket plum (Pappea capensis) tree species. Experiments on in vitro propagation and rooting of stem cuttings were carried out. Dipping stem cuttings in half strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) media for 12 h prior to application of rooting hormones improved bud break an...

The inability to induce rooting of in vitro-established Protea cynaroides microshoots has prevented the production of complete plantlets. A successful shoot-tip micrografting technique was developed using in vitro-germinated P. cynaroides seedlings as rootstocks and axenic microshoots established from pot plants as microscions. Thirty-day old seedl...

Bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides L.) contains high concentrations of polyphenols that are the primary indicator of antioxidant potential in herbal teas. The objective of this study was to determine the seasonal effect of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) nutrition on total polyphenol content in bush tea leaves. Treatments consisted of 0...

We describe a protocol for somatic embryogenesis of Protea cynaroides, with potential for high frequency production of this important horticultural species. Somatic embryos formed directly on both P. cynaroides mature zygotic embryos and excised cotyledons cultured on MS medium without growth regulators. The addition of growth regulators such as na...

Bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) is a plant indigenous to South Africa and is commonly known as bushman's tea (English); Boesmanstee (Afrikaans); Icholocholo, itshelo, umthsanelo (Zulu). It is a herbaceous plant that belongs to the Asteraceae family. People of South Africa have predominantly used it throughout history as a medicinal tea, for cle...

The objective of this investigation was to determine the effects of simultaneous applications of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) nutrition on growth and chemical analysis of bush tea (Athrixia, phylicoides). Four consecutive trials were conducted at Morgenzon (Louis Trichardt, Limpopo Province, South Africa), a commercial nursery, o...

The high concentrations of polyphenols present in leaves of bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides L.), a popular herbal beverage with medicinal properties, were examined in wild and cultivated populations to determine their magnitude of variation with season and application of nitrogenous fertilizers. Concentrations of total polyphenols in leaves of wild...

The role that starch content and blanching play in the rooting of Protea cynaroides cuttings was studied. P. cynaroides stems were blanched on the motherplant in the field, which resulted in a higher starch concentration in the cuttings. The relationship between starch content and rooting was also established, whereby the ability of the blanched cu...

Athrixia phylicoides is one of many plants from the Asteraceae family used as a traditional herbal medicine. Pharmacological evaluation of leaf extracts confirmed that the plant has anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, narcotic and analgesic properties. The medicinal properties of plants are often linked to the production of essential oil. It is hy...

Bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides) belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a popular beverage used as an herbal tea and as medicine for cleansing or purifying the blood, treating boils, headaches, infested wounds, and cuts, and the solutions may also be used as a foam bath. In some parts of South Africa, people drink bush tea for aphrodisiac reasons....

Bush tea ( Athrixia phylicoides ) belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is a popular beverage, commonly used as an herbal tea and for medicinal purposes. In some parts of South Africa, people consume or drink it as an aphrodisiac. Bush tea was grown under varying nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) levels in the four seasons to determine...

Hypoxis hemerocallidea (African potato) is in high demand as a medicinal plant and therefore it is becoming scarce in its natural habitat. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of cultivation practices on the active ingredients of the corm over a 12-month period. Different TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography) methods were also...

Flowering-sized bulbs of Lachenalia that developed under three different temperature regimes [S. Afr. J. Plant Soil 18 (1) (2001a) 28] were used to assess the quality of subsequent pot plants. Plants were grown in a growth cabinet at a 15/10 °C day/night temperature regime. When the oldest flower of the inflorescences opened, the pot plants were tr...

Carbohydrate partitioning was investigated in different plant organs of Lachenalia cv. Ronina during bulb production under a low temperature regime. At 4-week intervals, data were collected on bulb, roots, leaves, inflorescence and carbohydrate composition. The roots and especially the bulb were found to be the main starch sinks of the plant, whils...

Oxidative browning is one of the reasons why Protea cynaroides is not being extensively propagated via tissue culture techniques. The reduction of oxidative browning was best achieved by stirring the explants for 1h in an antioxidant solution mixture containing 100mgl−1 ascorbic acid and 1500mgl−1 citric acid before inserting them into the medium....

Three temperature regimes, representing a cool, moderate and warm winter climate, were chosen to grow bulbs during the bulb preparation phase (year 1) and afterwards to determine the morphology and shelf life of these bulbs' inflorescences during the pot plant phase (year 2). The best temperature regimes for the bulb preparation phase were the low...

Temperature plays an important role in the production of high quality Lachenalia bulbs, which is required for successful international bulb trade. The effects of three growth temperature regimes (high, moderate and low) on the development of bulbs prior to harvest and during the storage period were studied. Bulbs planted on 1 March were harvested a...

Lachenalia species are mainly winter and spring flowering bulbous plants endemic to South Africa and Namibia and representatives of the Hyacinthaceae. The annual growth cycle of most species is characterised by active leaf growth during autumn, flowering during winter or spring, followed by leaf senescence and a dormant period during the hot dry su...

Lachenalia cultivars have excellent characteristics as flowering pot plants. The effect of three temperature regimes on the growth of small bulbs of Lachenalia cv. Ronina to flowering size (± 7 g) was studied. Potted bulbs were grown in three temperature controlled cabinets with temperature regimes chosen to represent a cold, a moderate and a warm...

The article provides a report on a survey conducted in selected villages of Thohoyandou and Nzhelele in Venda, Limpopo Province of South Africa by means of personal inter-views. The aim of the survey was to gather indigenous knowledge and to validate the uses of bush tea as claimed by the local people. The interviews were conducted with three types...